It is as though someone has drilled peep holes into the walls of emergency rooms, operating rooms and doctors' offices. I can't look away.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Dr. August is . . . Kevin, MD

I once read where GruntDoc was the granddaddy of medblogs. If that’s true, then Kevin, MD is “Big Daddy”. I love Kevin’s blog. Here’s my daily medblog routine: Open bottle of Diet Coke, click on Kevin, MD and check out his links; then head to the Kevin, MD Feeds page. [umm, that used to be a lot easier when there was a link to the "Feeds" page on the Kevin, MD front page ~ hint, hint]

Here’s my interview with Kevin, MD:

Q.1 What was the last movie you saw?

Iron Man on a recent plane trip. Before that, I saw a camcorder version of The Dark Knight. Both were excellent films.

With a 3-year old at home, I don't go out to the movies much. Having to hire a babysitter makes going to the movies a pricey night. So, the movie *really* has to be worth it for me to go to the theater.

Q.2 If you were trapped on a deserted island, what three things would you need to survive?

The worst: Politicians and administrators who make health policy decisions without truly appreciating or understanding the issues that physicians face.

Q.5 Oh no! Kim Kardashian cut her big toe. You're a doctor. Do you think this will hurt her chances on "Dancing With the Stars"?If Heather Mills can dance on one leg, Kim Kardashian should have no problem. I'm going to go out on a limb and pick Toni Braxton as this year’s winner.

Q.6 When did you decide you wanted to be a doctor?

In high school. I went to one of those 7-year combined Bachelor's/MD programs in college, so my career course was set early on. Luckily I didn’t change my mind.

"Imagine you are the only doctor in a small, isolated northern community. You're single. The law says you're not allowed to have sex with your patients. Since everyone in the community is your patient, that means you're not allowed to have sex. Period."

So what advice do you have for this doctor?

Become a priest.

But seriously, that doctor is in a tough spot. I'd like to find out myself what to do in that situation. Is he his wife's physician?

Q.8 How did you meet your wife and what did y'all do on your firstdate?

I met my wife in Boston, during my intern year of residency. I used to impress her by taking her to all the pharmaceutical-sponsored dinners at fancy restaurants. Needless to say, that was before the backlash against drug company gifts.

Our first date was at Starbucks. We had hot chocolate.

Q.9 When you first started blogging, you mentioned that you'd occasionally work a shift in the ER. Do you still do that?

Not anymore. As a resident, I used to moonlight more than I worked in residency. I learned just as much, if not more, during these shifts. Nothing gives a doctor more confidence than working without a net.

Looking back, I'm not sure how I managed all that moonlighting. There would be days at a time where I would be sleeping at various hospitals, doing overnight shifts. I wasn't home very often.

Now with a full-time primary care practice, raising a young family, and blogging, time doesn't allow it.

Q.10 Name one habit you have that annoys people.

People say I'm nitpicky - I prefer to call it detail-oriented. No matter how good things look, count on me to find the one thing that's wrong.

Q.11 I see this on the medblogs all the time, but I'm too lazy to look it up. What exactly is “evidence based medicine”?

Evidence-based medicine (EBM) attempts to apply results from scientific studies into the clinical world. This is as opposed to practicing medicine by gut reaction, intuition or instinct.

Not all doctors agree with the concept, since it regulates what physicians do to “cookbook” medicine. Policy wonks like the concept since it removes independent thought from clinical decisions, which makes it easier to reduce the amount of practice variability that is thought to be a cause of rising health care costs.

The problem with EBM is that it doesn't cover all the possible scenarios that doctors face on a regular basis. We're still a long way from medicine being totally evidence-based.

Q.12 Do you watch any reality shows on television?

Yes, because we only have one TV and my wife doesn't like the shows I watch. So, I'm well-versed in American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, and Jon and Kate Plus 8.

Q.13 What do you do in your spare time?

Aside from blogging and watching my daughter grow up?

I play table tennis competitively and travel around the country to participate in tournaments.

I'm also a highly ranked historical fantasy baseball player (at Imagine Sports.com), so I spend time researching and playing simulated historical baseball games.

Q.14 If you could have a super power, what would it be?

The ability not to need sleep. There’s too much to do, not enough time to do it.

Q.15 What was the best "thank you" that you ever received as a doctor?

A handwritten note by the daughter of a patient who passed away, thanking me for taking care of her mother during her last years. Very moving and reminded my why I became a doctor in the first place.

Q.16 And the usual "Calendar Doc" questions:

a. Any piercings or tattoos? No.b. What color scrubs do you wear? Baby blue.

Q.17 Quickfire Questions:

a. Any pets? No.b. Any kids? One, and another on the way.[Congratulations!]c. Favorite junk food? Cheesy poofs.d. Pet peeve? Tardiness.e. Favorite song of all time? Let it be.

Q.18 New feature!Questions suggested by readers. These were submitted by Roxie.

a. What's your favorite candy bar?

Twix. Can't resist the cookie and caramel.

b. If you could go back in time for one day, what year would it be and why?

1999, the year I met my wife.

Thanks Kevin, MD for being my Dr. August!

Photo credit: Crap, I can't remember where I found it. I just know that when I saw him, I had to have him.